Fear of Flying
by WastelandGhouls
Summary: Natasha was running away, but so was he. His wife had taken everything in the divorce; he had nothing else to lose. They were both running from their pasts, and along the way they find what they'd been missing... Leonard was scared of flying, and Natasha wanted to live among the stars. They were total opposites, but somehow they made it work.
1. Life Starts Now

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing other than my original characters and anything else that you may not recognize.

* * *

It was amazing what weeks of sleepless nights and skipping meals could do to a person's body. It was also amazing to what lengths Natasha would go to hide the cuts and bruises that littered the skin underneath her clothes. Sometimes it was long-sleeves and scarves, other times it was makeup, and recently she'd taken up to using her medical knowledge to conceal the contusions. Oh, what joy it was to be a doctor and have the appropriate technology available for personal use with the pretext of, " _it's for an experiment_."

Who was she kidding?

Never in her life did Natasha think that it would come to this—the hiding, the secrets, the lying—but that was the thing about life. Something, no matter what, always happened to the ones who least expected it…

… To the ones who least deserved it.

Catching her reflection in the bathroom mirror, Natasha scarcely recognized the redheaded woman staring back at her. Gone was the happy-go-lucky young woman who smiled at the simplest of things—the woman who saw the world through rose-tinted glasses. In her place, there was what Natasha liked to consider a monster; a former shell of what she used to be. Her eyes, a startling sea-foam green, used to be so full of life, so expressive and always smiling, but now they looked on ruefully, dull, guarded; cautious of the ways of men and those unknown. Her skin was pale, stuck between a sickly yellow and a ghastly white; underneath the baggy t-shirt and jeans was a patchwork of purple and black contusions, some shapeless, but others taking on the definite form of handprints and sporadically, burns.

Skipping meals (for the stress of everything had made her lose her appetite) had taken its toll on Natasha's figure. She used to be a very curvy girl—some would say she was _too_ curvy, too full-figured, but she loved her shape regardless; being bigger had had its charms. Now though, after weeks of neglect and forgetfulness, of not eating and staying up at all hours of the night worrying about this or that, nothing in her closet fit Natasha properly. Her jeans would sag, her shirts were too baggy—she had gone down a considerable amount of weight way too fast, and she was starting to pay for it. She had fainted twice in the span of a week, and her hair was falling out in clumps whenever she'd run a brush through it. Dark circles formed around her eyes, and her bones ached with unreleased stress.

And yet, regardless of everything that had happened—of what _was_ happening, she had never wanted to end her life. Yes, Natasha had thought about death once or twice. She had given it thought beyond what one would consider reasonably healthy, but to pick up a blade, or to overdose on medications… she couldn't— _wouldn't_ do it. She was a freshly graduated medical student from _**Ole' Miss**_ ; she had a good career, her whole life was ahead of her, and she would not end it because of _Him_ and what _He_ had done. To do that would name Him the victor, and Natasha would be damned if she let Him win.

Natasha could admit to herself that she was a coward for letting the situation get out of hand; for enabling, for keeping quiet, for hoping that "He would _change_ ," but enough was enough. The relationship had been slowly killing her, and suicidal she was **not**.

Exhaling heavily, she turned away from the mirror and turned off the light, exiting the bathroom and slowly making her way down the hallway and taking a left turn. Her childhood bedroom was just as she had left it before leaving home for school—filled with stuffed animals and very pink… all reminiscent of a better time, when things were simple, where the hardest thing Natasha had to face in her life was if Harry from math class would accept her invitation to the 8th grade winter formal.

He hadn't. He'd gone out with Kevin instead, and that had been fine for Natasha.

While being relatively small, the bedroom contained all the necessities that a young Natasha had needed while going through her adolescent years. A full-sized bed took up one corner, and across from it was an old bookshelf filled with more knickknacks than actual books; little trinkets gotten here and there, like the small crystal swan statue that she had purchased on a trip to Russia to visit some family.

On the other side of the room, a long vanity-dresser held six drawers, and above it propped against a pink wall was a large circular mirror with various personal photographs taped all around it. To conserve space, the dresser was also used as a makeshift desk. Its tabletop was neatly organized; on one side was Natasha's jewelry box and small collection of makeup, and on the other side was Natasha's laptop computer, touch-screen data-pad, and the random school supply that she was convinced she'd no longer use, but wouldn't get rid of.

There was only one window in the bedroom, large and draped in white lacey fabric, positioned behind the bed's headboard. It gave way to a beautiful view of the _New York City_ skyline, the late afternoon's rays of sun coming in through the open window and illuminating the room with a vibrant hue.

Grabbing her data-pad, or PADD (which was short for _Personal Access Display Device_ ), Natasha took a seat on the small bench-seat that had come with the vanity-dresser. She swiped her index finger across the screen and sighed contritely as she checked her messages. She had five saved video-calls from _Him_ dating back a couple of days ago before… _**It**_ had happened; five calls she had saved because He'd been so loving and caring and it was a rare occurrence for Him to say such nice things as of late—Natasha deleted those calls with the push of a button. She didn't want His reminders anymore; He was no longer part of her life and she would keep it as such.

Searching deeper through her inbox, deleting the odd junk mail as she went, Natasha stopped and smiled as the one name she loved to see flashed across her screen: **Pavel Chekov** (with a smiley face at the end). However, the smile on her face quickly turned in to a frown as she realized that it wasn't a message at all, but rather an update. Pavel had video-called only ten minutes before, while Natasha had been in the bathroom. Quickly, she pressed the small icon that flashed beside Pavel's name—it was the picture of a phone with a red slash going through it that signaled a missed call. On the screen, a window suddenly popped up with three options—save, delete, call-back—Natasha pressed call-back and waited.

Pavel Andreievich Chekov was Natasha's younger cousin, the son of her mother's younger sister. Despite the fact that he was eleven years younger than Natasha was, Pavel and Natasha had developed a close-knit relationship within the past year; something comparable to close siblings… she and her family were all he had left, after all. The previous year, he had run away from home after graduating from _**Moscow State University**_ at the age of thirteen, leaving his relationship with his mother and father to become strained and a bit messy.

Pavel had wanted something more. The little town in Russian that he had called his home did not have much to offer, and therefore he had enlisted in _Starfleet Academy_ right after graduating from university.

Natasha had played a pivotal role in Pavel's little adventure; she had housed him in her small Mississippi apartment for a time, and when his parents had come looking for him, she had managed to pacify them and get them to sign the guardian-permission forms the Academy required, seeing as Pavel would be thirteen upon admittance, and therefore underage.

Natasha had also made her aunt and uncle a promise that night: Natasha would protect and care for Pavel through his Starfleet journey, and that had seemed to be good enough for them.

A year later, he was fourteen now, and he had become Natasha's confidant—her honorary little brother and someone she could always count on no matter what.

The boy was impossibly too smart for his own good; one of the Academy's top students, out ranking most upperclassmen in intelligence. He was a brilliant mind, and yet he was very humble, never presuming to know everything for the sake of upholding his title as a certified genius. He was in the Academy to become a navigator, to chart the stars and lead great ships through them, and many a times he would video-call Natasha to inform her of how things were going with his studies, or to simply chat about this and that when he took a break from hitting the books, so to speak.

Today though, the video-call was strictly business—Pavel appeared to be on a mission.

"I haff done eet," was the first thing to escape Pavel's lips as his face appeared on Natasha's screen, "Eet iz set."

Natasha resisted the urge to chuckle softly at her cousin's thick Russian accent, though Pavel saw straight through her façade and grinned good-naturedly, ruffling his light brown curls in slight embarrassment.

"Yiss, eet iz bad," he sighed ruefully, a mock expression of hurt on his young face.

"It's better than before," replied Natasha encouragingly, offering her cousin a soft smile, "just keep practicing; Rome wasn't built in a day, Pavel. You've only been speaking English fluently for a year and some-odd months. No one expects you to get it perfect from the get-go."

"You don' haff en accent…"

"I really _do_ have an accent… it's just not as pronounced as yours, and that's because I have years of speaking English," answered Natasha with a small smile.

"I steel prefer to talk in Russian…" trailed off Pavel with a suggestive look in his clear eyes, and this time, Natasha let a soft giggle escape her lips.

" _Then let us talk in Russian_ ," she replied in Russian, causing a brilliant smile to stretch across Pavel's cheeks.

" _This is so much better_ ," the boy replied in relief, before lowering his voice secretively and adding, " _It is also more convenient this way; my dorm-mate does not know Russian… but he's not here right now, so like it matters_."

" _Alright_ ," stated Natasha with a smile, drawing back the conversation to its earlier topic with, " _now, you said that everything was set_?"

" _Yes_ ," stated Pavel with a firm nod, " _I hacked into Starfleet's records_ —"

"Pavel!" exclaimed Natasha, her tone reprimanding and an incredulous look set in her eyes as she stared at her cousin's image on the PADD screen.

Pavel simply brushed it off, continuing with, " _Yes, I know that what I did was bad, but I grew impatient. Anyways, the comments they made—they are very impressed with your application. Your name has already been added to the student roster for this incoming school year. They expect you in the fall—that's when the new school year starts, but you'll need to take an entrance exam_ —"

" _But you said that they've already accepted my application. If they've already enrolled me, then why do I need to take an entrance exam_?" asked Natasha suspiciously, slightly confused by her cousin's rapid explanation.

" _It's strictly protocol_ ," answered Pavel coolly. " _Your aptitude tests and school records surpass their standards—technically, you do not need to take the entrance exam, but they need a record of it regardless of how good you are_."

" _So, apart from that… I'm in_?" asked Natasha hesitantly, receiving an excited nod from Pavel.

" _Yes_!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands, " _You will start classes at_ **Starfleet Medical College** _in the fall! It's right on campus, across the main Academy buildings, so we'll see each other a lot! This is great, is it not_?"

" _I'm relieved more than anything else, really_ ," admitted Natasha warily, sighing in relief and feeling a heavy weight lifting itself from her conscience. " _I can't wait to get out of this city_ …"

All excited feelings for his cousin quickly left Pavel, and he was silent for a moment, running his cousin's answer through his head. She should be excited, shouldn't she? Not just anyone was admitted into Starfleet just like that… but Natasha was "relieved"— _really_? He couldn't believe it. Something wasn't right, and he had a hunch as to what was going on. He only hoped that he was wrong, but with Natasha saying, " _I can't wait to get out of this city_ ," well… Pavel had his answer, and now he just needed to confirm it.

" _Be honest with me_ ," he said abruptly, startling Natasha with his harsh tone, " _why are you doing this? Are you running away, or do you really want to be a part of Starfleet_?"

Natasha hesitated. Why _was_ she doing this? _Was_ she running away? Did she genuinely _want_ to be a part of Starfleet and serve as one of their medical officers?

Well, the answer was simple…

" _Both_ ," she said quietly, her hands shaking as she propped the PADD against the wall underneath the mirror. " _I need to show you something, but promise me you won't freak out_."

"Tasha…" started Pavel warningly, his eyes hardening, " _what did_ _ **He**_ _do_?"

" _What did He_ _ **not**_ _do_?" muttered Natasha despondently as she rose from the bench-seat, her hands going to the hem of the shirt she was wearing.

In a swift motion (accompanied by a visible wince and a soft gasp of pain), her t-shirt was off and on the ground, and Natasha stood before her PADD in nothing but a sports bra and jeans. She watched as Pavel's face turned a light shade of red—he was only fourteen after all, and here she was standing shirtless in front of him, but embarrassment quickly turned into blinding rage as Pavel caught a good look at Natasha's bare skin…

Pavel knew of the toxic relationship Natasha found herself in—he had been told about the beatings, the insults, the humiliation and ridicule. Natasha trusted him to a point where she told him everything… or at least everything that she deemed he needed to know. There were things she left out for the sake of his own mental health. Pavel didn't need to know about the rapes, nor the time when she'd nearly been stabbed… but aside from all that, she had showed Pavel her bruises and scars, she had shared her stories with him, and she had told him of how very afraid she was…

But it was never this bad, not like right now. All the skin of Natasha's abdomen was black and blue, there were bruises in the shape of handprints on her shoulders, and a very defined footprint was placed underneath her left breast, looking raw and fresh and nauseatingly painful.

Pavel could only image what else was underneath his cousin's remaining clothes.

" _It was never this bad_ ," he muttered, more to himself than to his cousin, " _He… He'd never hit you this bad_ —"

" _He pushed me down a flight of stairs_ ," explained Natasha quietly, her bottom lip beginning to tremble as unshed tears glistened in her eyes. " _I… I was pregnant—and He pushed me down a flight of stairs_..."

"Tasha," Pavel said tenderly, his eyes softening into a look of sympathy as his heart broke for his cousin.

" _I'm not pregnant anymore, in case you're wondering_ ," continued Natasha, her voice thick with emotion. " _After the fall, He came at me and started kicking me... He… He really didn't want_ …"

Pavel silently watched as his cousin broke down in tears, her hands going up to shield her face, muffling her sobs.

Natasha took a step back, bumping into the bench-seat, and turned to the side as if to get away from Pavel's watchful gaze. She didn't want him to look at her, to see how weak and pathetic she was, but turning only served in offering her cousin a view of her side and part of her back. Amongst the old marks from previous altercations, her skin was black and blue and red and yellow, making Pavel's own skin begin to tingle as if he was the one who bore all those marks. He could feel his own tears stinging his eyes, his heart feeling heavy and his breathing beginning to become erratic as he struggled to get a handle over his emotions. His cousin—no, his _sister_ , because Natasha was as good as, needed him right now. She needed him to be strong, for her, and he could not be strong if he began to cry along with her. He would allow himself a moment behind closed doors, but right now, Natasha needed him.

" _When and where did this happen_?" he asked carefully, running a hand tiredly through his short, curly locks.

Natasha was quiet for a moment, no longer sobbing, but still crying silently. Her hands dropped to her sides and she turned back to her cousin, looking at him through the PADD screen for a moment before saying through her silent tears, " _A… a few days ago, at His place_."

" _Did you go to the authorities_?"

Natasha nodded her head, taking a seat back on the bench-seat as she whispered, " _I woke up in the hospital… I guess someone saw what happened and… made the call_."

" _So they got Him_?" asked Pavel pryingly, almost eagerly, " _He's in prison now_?"

Natasha shook her head, wiping the tears away from her face and taking in deep, calming breaths as she willed herself to stop crying.

"Tasha—"

" _No_ ," replied Natasha, a haunted look crossing her eyes. " _When the police got to His apartment, He was gone. They don't know where He is, or where He could have gone. They're doing a city-wide search right now…but that's it_."

" _What_?!" exclaimed Pavel, outraged. " _They're only doing a city-wide search?! What if He has fled the city? He could be across the state by now! Why aren't the police_ —"

" _My case isn't a big deal to them_ ," interrupted Natasha, " _there is the possibility of attempted-murder, but right now it's being classified under: domestic abuse_."

Pavel was silent for a moment, drinking Natasha's words in before he began muttering to himself angrily in Russian, his sentences mainly insults and threats and comments about how you couldn't trust the police. Natasha simply sighed as she let Pavel vent, resting her elbows on the dresser's tabletop and cradling her head in her hands.

" _You done_?" interrupted Natasha when enough time had passed.

" _No_ ," muttered Pavel moodily, " _I'll never be done, but for now… okay_."

Natasha nodded, keeping her head down as she took in a deep breath.

" _What happens now_?" asked Pavel resignedly.

" _The police told me that, if I didn't feel safe where I was, that it would be best if I moved… you know, to start all over_ —"

" _That's why you were adamant in joining Starfleet_ ," said Pavel quietly, now understanding Natasha's sudden interest in the Academy. " _You're running away_ …"

A soft smile crept its way up onto Natasha's lips. She dropped her hands and lifted her head, her eyes suddenly softening with innocent mischief—it was a stark contrast of how she had been only moments earlier. She nearly looked like her old self again… _nearly_.

" _Well_ ," she began, playing with a lock of her red hair, " _I did always want to live amongst the stars_."

Nodding, Pavel simply said, " _The closest Starfleet base to you is the one in Iowa. A shuttle is scheduled to depart from the Riverside Shipyard in August. It will be bringing new recruits and returning Cadets back here to San Francisco. I will inform you on the exact date and time when it is announced._ "

" _Well then... Riverside, Iowa, here I come_."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Let me know what you think with a review. And also PLEASE leave me a link to any completed Bones/OC stories. I haven't found any good ones so I would appreciate the help.


	2. Fear of Flying

**3 Months Later**

Her mother had suspected something; Elena Ivankov had a sixth sense when it came to her children. She knew that there was something going on in the life of her youngest offspring, however she just couldn't figure out what it was. Her daughter had never mentioned an interest in joining Starfleet—the military just wasn't something that Elena could see her daughter being a part of. Yet, no one ever imagined that little Pavel would join Starfleet either and there he was, top of his year.

Regardless, as she said goodbye to her daughter and watched as the redhead boarded the shuttle that would take her to her connecting flight in Iowa, there was a small voice in the back of her head that was reprimanding her for not digging deeper. It had all been so sudden; one day Natasha had been apartment shopping in New York City, and the next day she had thrown everything into the wind. She said that Pavel had finally convinced her in joining Starfleet Academy and that she was due to leave in a few days, just like that.

There was just _**something**_ going on and for the life of her, Elena was going crazy trying to figure it out.

She sighed. There really was no telling what was going on with her daughter, but it would all turn out for the best. At least she hoped it would. If that bone crushing hug and blinding smile her daughter had given her were anything to go by, then Elena could rest easy. Natasha would tell her eventually, and as of right now, things were sailing smoothly.

At least she had broken up with that damn boyfriend of her's.

Elena knew from the moment that she had set eyes on that boy that he was not meant for her daughter. She didn't know why they had broken up, and she honestly did not care. The only thing that concerned her was her daughter and how that sparkle in her green eye's had come back since leaving that horrid boy.

Meanwhile, Natasha exchanged text messages with Pavel while the shuttle carted her off to her new life. She found herself pleasantly at ease with everything that was currently happening. Life was turning around for her, so she leaned back into her seat and decided that from that moment on, all the pain and suffering that she had gone through in the past no longer existed. This was a new chapter in her life, and there was no turning back, not anymore. She was going to start out fresh; a new job and a new home, with new faces who didn't know or suspect about the ongoings' of her personal life… Save for Pavel. However, she thought of her cousin as the anchor that was going to keep her grounded. Natasha didn't want to lose herself in this new journey her life was taking her on, and therefore Pavel was going to keep her safe.

* * *

The ride was quick, no more than an hour. Natasha felt her first set of nerves kick in as she stepped off the shuttle and set foot on the _Riverside Shipyard_ in Iowa where they were currently constructing one _**USS Enterprise**_. Even in its incomplete state, the starship was massive. All steel and glass and—

"I don't need a doctor—DAMMIT! I AM A DOCTOR!"

Natasha's eyes widened a bit in surprise as yells could be heard coming out of one of the departing shuttles— **her** departing shuttle, at that. She quickly drew near to see what was happening, and caught the tail end of an argument between the flight officer in charge of the shuttle, and a passenger.

"You need to find a seat," the flight officer argued, her eyes narrowed at the man she was currently trying to restrain.

"I had one, in the bathroom, _darlin'_ —with no windows," the man exclaimed with a southern lilt, trying to wiggle out of the officer's grasp, "I suffer from aviaphobia, 'case you don't understand big words, it means: fear of dying in something that flies!"

Curiously Natasha watched on; the man looked frazzled and like he could use a good night's worth of sleep. His clothes were rumpled and he looked overall disheveled, but it was his eyes that caught Natasha's attention. They were hazel with splashes of green, and although his eyes were a pretty combination of colors, it was the look they held that made Natasha feel some type of way.

This was a man that was running away, just like she was.

"Sir," the flight officer started as she pushed the man towards a couple of empty seats, "for your own safety, sit down, or I will MAKE you sit down… do you hear me? RIGHT NOW."

The two glared at each other, and all grew silent as the man begrudgingly turned away from the flight officer and took a seat in the back of the shuttle. There was a pause, and then suddenly it was as if nothing had happened. The flight officer took her place at the shuttle doors processes boarding passes and soon it was Natasha's turn to hand in hers.

She cautiously made her way through the small shuttle, scanning for an empty seat beside a window, however she had been one of the last ones to board the shuttle and therefore all the good seats had been taken. Eventually, she gave up on finding a seat with a view and settled on sitting in the back of the shuttle, between a handsome light haired man who had what looked like the remnants of a bar fight on his face, and the man who had been fighting with the flight officer.

"Hi," Natasha said absentmindedly as she strapped herself in between the two men. She didn't want to come off as rude, seeing as she would be sitting between these men for the next couple of hours. That, and the fact that they both looked like Hell on Earth also made her slightly apprehensive about getting on their bad side for the duration of this trip.

Plus, her mother had raised her to be polite to strangers, so it was second nature to her to at least acknowledge someone that she was going to sit next too, regardless if they started a conversation or not.

"Hey," the light haired man was the first to say, offering her a smile before slightly wincing in pain.

"Fractured nose and possible cracked cheek bone," Natasha spouted off as she got a good look at the man.

"Yeah," the man chuckled in surprise, "could be, haven't gotten properly checked out though yet. I kind of got dumb last night at the bar…"

"Sorry," Natasha said sheepishly, offering him a small smile, "It's just, by the way those bruises are forming, well… I'm a doctor."

The man just smiled and offered her his hand, "James Kirk—call me Jim."

"Natasha Ivankov," she replied in kind, shaking his hand.

Jim smiled slightly and was about to say something in return, however the man on the other side of Natasha cleared his throat and said quietly, "You're a doctor?"

"Yeah," she replied with a small smile as she turned to face him, "I just graduated from the _**University of Mississippi**_."

" _Ole Miss_ ," the man quickly said, a small smile forming on his lips. "So did I. The names Leonard McCoy."

Natasha had to smile at that. The man— _Leonard_ , didn't look all that bad as he gave a small smile her way.

"Nice to meet you Leonard. You can call me Tasha."

Jim quirked an eyebrow at that. She hadn't told _him_ to call her Tasha…

In that moment, the shuttle's engines roared to life, and the small smile that had been on Leonard's face quickly disappeared.

"I might throw up on you," he muttered as he sunk deeper into his seat, squeezing his eyes shut and taking in deep breaths.

Natasha was about to tell him some small words of comfort, but the shuttle took off and Leonard's hand quickly shot out to grip the armrests of his seat… though he missed, and instead of the armrest he ended up gripping Natasha's hand.

Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened, however for the duration of the flight, Natasha never verbally acknowledged Leonard's hand gripping her's for dear life. She would only squeeze back.


	3. Phobia

**FACE CHARACTER:** I've updated the cover image for this story so you can get an image on who I am using for Natasha. Dr. Ivankov's looks are based off of **Holland Roden** if Holland Roden was a bit on the heavier side.

* * *

 **THREE YEARS LATER**

 _(Starfleet Academy Grounds; 8PM)_

She sat in the first row of seats in the small conference room, right in the center. On her left sat Pavel, and on her right, was Jim. The lights were dimmed and everyone was silent, the only noise in the room being the sound of Leonard's voice through the speakers as he finished his seminar on aviophobia. The turnout had been surprisingly well; 35 out of the 50 seats the room held were taken, and Natasha couldn't have been prouder of her friend.

* * *

"This shit's almost over, right?" Jim whispered as he nudged Natasha with his elbow.

Natasha responded by slapping his knee lightly and scrunching her nose up in disapproval.

"Stop it," she whispered back with a glare, "that is your best friend up there. At least pretend to enjoy it—for _his_ sake."

With an eyeroll Jim slumped in his seat and shook his head. This was completely pointless. A seminar about the fear of flight in an organization that operated in space—completely pointless. However, Natasha made a valid point, that was his best friend, and he had to support his best friend however much he could… even if he thought this whole thing was completely stupid. But hey, they were all going out to dinner afterwards to celebrate Leonard's little side-project, so he had some food and drinks to look forward too at the end of the night. And maybe, if Natasha didn't hover and act like a mother hen (her usual self whenever they all went out) he might be able to catch a girl at the bar and bring her back around to his dorm.

 _Maybe..._

* * *

With a few final comments, some of which were information on where to get the counseling and support one would need if they were having a hard time dealing with their aviophobia, Leonard made his way off the stage with the sound of polite applause behind him... excluding the obnoxious screams that one redhead sitting in the front row was letting out, and the unsurprising, "That's my Bones!," from his best friend Jim.

He felt good about his seminar, it was the first one ever in Starfleet history concerning the fear of flight, and it made him feel good to help others deal with their phobia in a way that he would have liked to be helped when he first discovered his fear.

He was a doctor for a reason after all, helping people was just something that he was inclined to do from the start.

With a slight spring in his step, he got off the stage and stood off to the side; people started to approach him then. Some gave him pats on the back and congratulated him on his seminar, and others asked for more information on where and how to get help in overcoming their fear. He made small talk with everyone that approached him, a small, fake smile plastered on his lips as he discreetly inched his way towards the exit.

Leonard McCoy was a walking contradiction. He loved his job and loved helping people… and he hated his job and hated people in general. He had no patience what's so ever, however he was one of Starfleet's best medical officers, even if he was also Starfleet's grouchiest.

"Bones!" was suddenly shouted a few feet away from him, and then Leonard felt an arm snake around his shoulders.

He rolled his eyes.

"Dammit Jim," he grumbled lowly, "stop calling me that."

Jim just laughed as he brought his friend into a quick hug.

"It's been three years, man," Jim smirked, "that's your nickname for life."

Leonard rolled his eyes and then shrugged off Jim's arm from his shoulders. Subtly he looked around his friend, noticing the absence of a redheaded Russian and her baby cousin who was practically fused to her hip.

"Where's Tasha and the kid?" he finally asked as they both made their way out of the conference room and out of the building all together.

"They got a head start," said Jim with a shrug as he and his friend walked across the Starfleet grounds and towards the awaiting shuttle bus that would take them to the restaurant they'd all agreed on.

"Head start?" asked Leonard, genuinely confused.

"Yeah," Jim said with a smile, "Your girlfriend has some stuff she needs to fix up at the restaurant before you get there—I'm supposed to stall you."

"She ain't my girlfriend," was all Leonard acknowledged with a scowl, "quit it."

" _Yet_ ," said Jim with a large grin, "I don't know why you haven't made a move yet—hell, if you're not interested let me know because I wouldn't mind having a piece of that—OW!"

Leonard had punched him, in the arm, _hard._

"And you swear you're not in love with her," exclaimed Jim with a flail of his arms.

"Shut up!" Leonard hissed, "I ain't in love with her."

"But you like her, right?" Jim pressed on with a suggestive smirk.

Leonard sighed.

Jim had gotten him drunk one night. It had been a typical guys' night at the bar, and after the 5th shot Leonard couldn't think straight, nor could he filter his comments when his friend had mentioned trying to go at their female friend. He didn't remember much of what was said that night, but the next morning Jim sported a black eye.

According to Jim, ever the drama queen that he was, his fair-haired friend said that Leonard had nearly murdered him when he had mentioned the thought of asking Natasha out on a date.

Well, Leonard couldn't really avoid the obvious answer anymore, not with how persistent Jim could be when he was on a mission.

"Yeah, I do," he said, trying to sound indifferent. "She's a looker, who wouldn't like her?"

Jim let out an overdramatic "YES" and then lowly added, "Chekov owes me 100 credits."

"100 credits?" exclaimed Leonard, glaring at his friend, "you bet with boy-genius?"

Nodding, Jim grinned as he said, "He bet me 100 federation credits that I wouldn't get you to admit that you like his cousin… even though literally _**all**_ of Starfleet know you two have a thing for each other!"

"Now listen here Jim, you better—wait," Leonard paused, his mind going blank for a second as he realized what Jim had just told him. "She's got a _thing_ for me?"

Jim nodded, smiling as they reached the shuttle bus. "Chekov spilled the beans—Natasha has, and I quote in my best Russian accent: _thee biggest croosh on Doctor McCoy_."

"Is that so?" was all Leonard could bring himself to say as he held back on smiling like an idiot.

Natasha was an unconventional beauty, at least in the eyes of Leonard. She was short, pale skinned, and was on the heavier side. She had a smattering of freckles on the bridge of her nose that extended to the apple of her cheeks, and large curly red hair that was almost always pulled back into two French braids. She almost never wore makeup, and when she wasn't in her white doctor's uniform or cadet reds', she was almost 95% of the time in a baggy t-shirt and a pair of leggings with her sandals. Her looks were plain, save for her sea-foam green eyes, however as gorgeous as those green eyes were, her looks weren't what had caught Leonard's attention in the first place.

Natasha was kind, compassionate, and adorably awkward when it came to certain things. She had a dark sense of humor that rivaled his own, and she was incredibly smart. She made him laugh and she just understood him and his way of being. If Leonard was having a bad day, a single conversation with Natasha could bring him out of whatever mood he was in. She was a blessing in his life—she had helped him so much without even realizing it.

His ex-wife had completely ruined him; she had taken everything in the divorce. He had joked with Jim that all his ex-wife had left him with were "his bones," and hence the nickname "Bones" was born.

It had been a messy separation, but messy was what happened when you really loved someone, or at least _thought_ you loved someone. She had taken everything away from him, and so Leonard had no other option than to enlist in Starfleet because he didn't know what else to do with himself. He didn't regret it though, Starfleet gave him a purpose, and he had also met Natasha along the way.

"You gonna finally make a move tonight?" Jim asked his silent friend. "It's the perfect opportunity. Dinner, drinks—me and Chekov will disappear halfway through, you just gotta say the word."

Before Leonard could utter a response, Jim's PADD made a noise; a text message had been received.

Natasha wanted them at the restaurant. Now.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Please don't forget to leave a review! Thanks.

Reviews are motivation, and with no reviews there is no motivation... which means I won't post anything, or I might not post as fast enough. *shrugs*

And also please let me know how I'm doing, if there is anything I need to change about my portrayal of the movie or whatever else.


	4. Mrs Dr McCoy

The restaurant was a small, hole in the wall place in the center of downtown San Francisco. It wasn't in the best area, and it wasn't the cleanest, but it had the best lobster macaroni and cheese in all of Northern California, and it was also one of Leonard's favorite places to grab a bite.

Natasha stood nervously outside of the restaurant waiting for Jim and Leonard. Pavel was inside, organizing the balloons Natasha had nearly barked at him to buy. She needed tonight to be perfect, she had even gone to the hair salon for the first time in years and gotten her hair and makeup professionally done.

 _Tonight's the night_ , she thought to herself as she smoothed down the front of her dress for what seemed like the hundredth time. _They are gonna flip when they see me…_

Neither Jim nor Leonard had ever seen her in a dress. In fact, they had never seen her in anything other than her uniforms, or t-shirts and leggings.

Leonard had never let her throw him a birthday party in the three years that they had been friends, and therefore she had gone all out with this little congratulatory dinner for his seminar. It wasn't his favorite restaurant, for he always claimed that he didn't have a favorite restaurant, but it was the first place that he had taken Natasha to eat after learning she loved anything and everything that had to do with cheese.

And honestly, she knew in her heart of hearts that Leonard loved the mac n' cheese they served as much as she did. Their macaroni _really was_ award winning for Leonard to even give it a second glance, with how much of a picky eater that he was.

"Tasha!" it was Jim, and Natasha nearly tripped over the 6 inch heels she was wearing and didn't know how to walk in. Another first for the night. She loved heels, what girl didn't? However, she didn't know how to walk in them, and therefore all the heels that she owned sat pretty in a rack in her closet, accumulating dust.

"Hey!" She smiled, a large grin on her face as she turned to look at Jim...

* * *

Leonard stood a few feet behind Jim, trying to mask the surprise on his face as he looked at Natasha, all dressed up and smelling like sunflowers.

Her hair was down, blown out to straighten her frizzy natural curls, and then recurled to form large beach waves that rolled off her shoulders and down her back to her hips. She had on, as he liked to call it, "that sparkly crap," on her face, otherwise known as makeup; her eyeshadow was dark to accentuate her green eyes, and her lips were a dark wine red. And her dress… it was black, knee length, and by God, he swore he had never seen anything or anyone more beautiful in all his life.

He sputtered for a moment as she took him by surprise and pulled him into a tight hug. If it weren't for Jim in the background raising his eyebrows suggestively, Leonard would have forgotten to hug back.

 _Jesus Christ_ , he thought to himself as he let himself indulge in Natasha's warm embrace; he had hugged her plenty of times before, but for some reason this hug, having her in his arms like this in this point in time, it all felt different. He sincerely hoped he wouldn't ruin this. He didn't want a repeat of what had happened with his ex-wife. Just thinking about that horrible woman was putting him in a bad mood, but not tonight. Tonight, it was just about Natasha and getting the courage to ask her out on something more formal than their usual "study dates."

Hopefully Jim wouldn't fuck it up.

* * *

The restaurant had a niche with a couple of tables off in the back of the building, separated by a curtain of glittering lights and plants that hung down to the ground from the ceiling. This niche was reserved for private parties and away from prying eyes, which was where Natasha and her beloved friends were currently gathered.

They occupied only one long table, and said table had on display an assortment of "Southern" styled foods that Natasha knew Leonard hadn't had in years, along with the "award winning" macaroni. There were also the infamous black and gold balloons that Natasha had badgered Pavel about, and lastly, by Jim's request, a small selection of alcoholic drinks at the end of the table since Natasha had been adamant about Jim not wandering off to the bar halfway through the night; if anything he could get drunk at the table, but he was absolutely not going to leave.

She was nervous at first, Leonard had been surprisingly quiet since entering the restaurant, which was very unusual. She knew he hadn't wanted a party, however she had forced him into agreeing with her whims for at least this once since the party was going to be for something that might change Starfleet in some way, however small an Aviophobia Club might be. Thankfully her nerves were put to rest when Leonard paused at the head of the table and said, "Is that cornbread?"

"Maybe."

"Dammit woman, is that cornbread or is it not?"

Natasha laughed and nodded her head, saying, "I made it this morning."

"It's homemade!?"

She had never seen Leonard eat so much bread in one sitting then in that night. Actually, once he had discovered the chicken and collard greens and everything else that Natasha had slaved away making in her small off-campus apartment, she had never seen him so satisfied and lazy and content as he leaned back in his seat sipping on sweet tea and talking to Jim about who knew what.

"When are you going to tell thee doctor you 'are in love," Pavel asked with a small, innocent smile on his face as he finished eating his plate of food.

Natasha nearly choked on her tea. She looked at her cousin with wide eyes and whispered in Russian, " _Shut up! I am not in love with him!"_

Pavel rolled his eyes and chuckled before responding in Russian, " _You've got that look in your eyes, you know the one. Like when papa and mama look at eachother…._ "

Natasha simply sighed and said nothing in return, looking away from her cousin and towards the end of the table, where Leonard sat with Jim.

Dr. Leonard McCoy was something else.

From that moment in that shuttle three years ago, when he grabbed her hand out of impulse and fear, Natasha knew that she was going to go in deep with him. He made her laugh with his whining and complaining, always grouching about this or that. He made her smile with his small gestures, like staying up late on the phone with her the night before an exam and ending the call with, "you're a smart girl Darlin', you'll pass this one, now let me sleep, dammit!" Or how safe he made her feel with just sitting beside her and not saying anything.

He was compassionate and kind, even though he loved to say that he wasn't. Natasha had seen that side of him that no one other than Jim had experienced on rare occasions. He took care of those closest to him, even if that meant stalking ever nighclub in San Fransisco looking for Jim just so he could drag him back to the campus on a night before an exam, or even taking on Natasha's patients so that she could sleep an extra hour when they did their 14 hour clinicals'; he'd do it without question. He would even follow Pavel to class on some occasions after Natasha had mentioned that he was being bullied by his classmates, ready to fight anyone who'd dare push around the little navigator in training.

He was a simple man of simple tastes, and Natasha knew what a good man he was if you looked past the permanent scowl that was always plastered on his face.

In love with Leonard she was not, but could she see herself in love with him? The answer was simple…

"Mrs. Natasha McCoy, sounds kind of odd, doesn't it?"

Pavel smiled, saying, "It would actually be **Dr.** Natasha McCoy."

"That sounds _**way**_ better."

* * *

In the transcourse of the evening, Jim and Pavel had suddenly disappeared from the restaurant, leaving Leonard and Natasha alone. However, neither noticed. They were too engrossed in their conversation about literally nothing; school, work, food—they were talking about anything and everything.

It was so easy to talk to him, Natasha thought as she smiled at him. He was literally going on about how much he hated dealing with the new cadets and how "stupid and irresponsible," they were, and yet here she was, laughing at his little rant and thinking how cute he looked as he furrowed his brows and scowled at his drink.

She was not in love with Leonard, however her feelings for him ran deep. She honestly didn't think she could fall in love again, not after what had happened with _Him_ —with Logan.

Three years of friendship with Leonard (and Jim) and neither of them knew about Logan and all the things that he had done to her. If she played her cards right, Natasha sincerely hoped that they would never find out about her ex, at least not until she was ready to share her story with them.

Her life was better now. All the hurt and scars had finally healed, and she wasn't going to let anything or anyone drag her back into that black hole that she lived in while she was with Logan.

The man was still out there; they'd never found him, and after a year the case had gone cold and law enforcement had dropped Natasha's spousal abuse claim. Yes, there was a small niggling in the back of her head that made her double check her locks before going to bed, however she knew that if anything Logan knew she was a medical officer and Lieutenant in Starfleet, and he would be best to stay away from her.

"Darlin'," the pet name pulled her out of her thoughts, and she blinked aimlessly before setting her focus on one hazel eyed doctor sitting before her.

"Sorry," she grinned sheepishly, "kind of got lost in thought for a bit. What were you saying?"

Quirking an eyebrow in question, Leonard asked in return, "What were you thinking about?"

"Nothing," Natasha said quickly, shrugging her shoulders and offering him a small smile.

" _Right,_ " said Leonard, giving her an incredulous look. He sighed then, setting his glass of tea on the table and turning all the way in his seat so that he was sitting directly in front of Natasha. "I was asking you if you'd want to go catch a film after this? That new movie you wanted to see just came out."

"Ooh! The one with the girl who falls in love with the Klingon?"

Leonard rolled his eyes but nodded his head.

"Me and Pavel have been wanting to see that movie since we saw the trailer last month," Natasha gushed, "he's gonna be so—"

"I didn't mean with him, or Jim for that matter," Leonard quickly cut her off.

Natasha looked at him questioningly. There was something in those eyes of his that she just couldn't read, and then he did it—he reached out and grabbed her hand.

Her heart nearly stopped. He hadn't grabbed her hand since that one time three years ago, when he'd nearly thrown up on the shuttlecraft where she'd first laid eyes on him.

"What," Natasha blurted out with raised brows. Her mind was completely blank. The only thing she could think about was the feel of Leonard's large hand covering hers, of how warm it felt, and how he was subtly measuring her raising pulse with his index finger.

"I meant just us," Leonard explained, giving her hand a small squeeze, "just you and me; like a date."

"What." Her mind was in overdrive, and at the same time it was blank. Natasha was two seconds away from melting into a puddle of mush from the sheer joy and excitement and surprise and every feeling under the sun that was flashing through her heart. She was mentally scolding herself for not coming up with a better response (like "yes!"), but her lips suddenly weren't working the way they were supposed to.

"I really like you Darlin'," Leonard said softly as he let out a nervous chuckle, "and it's probably the whisky talking, but I want you, and I'm wondering if you want me to?"

Words kept failing her, so Natasha nodded her head, a large, happy smile on her face as she laughed and squeezed Leonard's hand back. Of course she liked him, and of course she wanted him! All of his imperfections made him perfect to her. He was Leonard H. McCoy, the grumpy Georgian doctor who hated the world, and he was now hers.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Perhaps their relationship may seemed rushed, however I have to have at least some semblance of a relationship already started because from this point on we're going to be headed into the 2009 movie script, so stay tuned.**

 **Be kind and leave a review.**


	5. Babygirl

Their first kiss had been… something else, for a lack of a better explanation. They had agreed to go to the movies and yet they hadn't even made it past the opening credits. It had started out with Leonard rubbing small circles in the palm of her hand, to Natasha leaning her head against his shoulder, to Leonard whispering in her ear how stupid he thought this movie was going to be. From there, with how close his lips were to her ear, it led to him planting butterfly kisses on the top of her head, to Natasha looking up at him and placing a timid kiss on the corner of his mouth.

He had kissed her then, slow, softly, letting her set the pace in case he was being too forward. However, after getting over the initial shock of feeling his lips against hers, Natasha sighed into the intimate act and brought her hand up to play with the hair on the nap of his neck.

She felt like she was floating and drowning all at once. There was a tightness in her chest and a growing fire in her belly. She felt a smile coming onto her lips as she kissed Leonard back softly, and she tried with all her might to keep that smile at bay, but the romantic in her wouldn't allow it. The second that smile spread across her lips she knew she was done for.

She was a giggling mess after that, a smile so large on her lips that her eyes were shut and her face was flush red. Every time Leonard would reach for her she'd start giggling, which would insight Leonard to roll his eyes and grumble lowly, "Dammit Darlin'," though it was clear as day that the annoyed expression on the doctor's face was false. There was a brightness to his hazel eyes that wasn't there before, and although he scowled every time he'd get pushed away by Natasha (because she couldn't stop giggling) when he'd try to kiss her, he was beaming.

It had been a while since he'd indulged himself to a woman's touch, at least as sincerely as he was letting himself be with Natasha. Sure, there had been other women after his ex-wife, he'd gone on dates here and there in his three years of being in the Academy, however none of those women could compare to Natasha and the way her smile made his chest tighten.

As he looked down at her, face all pink and eyes crinkled shut in mirth, he knew he had to be very careful. This woman was going to be the end of him.

* * *

They had developed a routine in the following weeks of their new relationship. Leonard would be at Natasha's apartment at six in the morning on the dot with a sunflower in his hands that he would give to her, followed by a kiss. She always acted surprised when he'd give her another sunflower to add to the large vase she had by the living room window; she didn't know where he'd get the sunflowers from, but she wasn't one to complain. They were her favorite flower after all.

After that they'd spend the morning together talking about this or that over breakfast that either of them would make, and then after they'd both make their way to Starfleet Medical hand in hand.

They kept things professional in the hospital, they were Dr. McCoy and Dr. Ivankov to one another, but once they logged off and the lab coats came off they went back to being "Darlin'" and "my handsome."

The friendship was still there, that of course hadn't changed, however now they allowed themselves more liberties, like holding hands and public displays of affection that left the cadet student body of Starfleet buzzing about the new couple on campus. No one ever thought that the handsome southern doctor would fall for the little curvy Russian, however most weren't really surprised once they had caught sight of Natasha and Leonard holding hands as they walked across campus. It was true about what they said about friendships making the best relationships. There was already that level of comfort there between the two persons, all that was left was adding that level of intimacy that would make the friendship romantic.

* * *

It was a day like any other in Starfleet Academy… well, that was actually a lie. Natasha found herself in the front row of seats of the largest hearing room that the academy had to offer, looking down at her best friend with sad eyes as he stood against all of the school and their academic leaders.

Today had been her day off from her research at Starfleet Medical, so when she had gotten the PADD notification that she (and every single cadet enrolled in that year's school roster) had to be present for the lastminute hearing of one James T. Kirk against the student council and the fact that said James T. Kirk had cheated on one of the most important test of the academy, Natasha nearly ran out of her apartment with her red cadet uniform skirt on backwards.

"I can't believe this," she whispered to Leonard who stood beside her, an uneasy expression on his face as he looked down at his best friend—his brother. "I thought you were joking when you said he was going to take the test again."

Leonard shook his head, saying softly, "I knew he had something up his sleeve, but to hack the program and beat the **Kobayashi Maru** , I'm honestly impressed."

The **Kobayashi Maru** was a training exercise that every cadet had to take at some point in their Starfleet careers. It was meant to test their character in a no-win scenario, to see if under extreme pressure would they be able to still make the right decision—they were appointed a small crew and made captain of a fictional ship that was being under attack by a crew of Klingons who were on the warpath to destroy earth. They had the option of saving themselves and letting earth parish, or dying in the line of fire and destroying the Klingons. Leonard had failed it, Natasha had failed it, even Pavel who had never failed a single test, had failed it; the test was unbeatable. Whatever option you chose meant death.

In all honesty, Natasha wasn't at all surprised that her dear friend had done something like this. He had saved the crew and saved earth all the while defeating the army of Klingon Warbirds in the simulation. James Kirk was just the type of person who had to win always at whatever price, but was he that stupid to put his future in Starfleet on the line just to pass a test?

"This session has been called to address a troubling matter. James T. Kirk, step forward…"

Jim approached the podium with a smug smirk on his lips. _Yes, he was stupid_ , Natasha thought.

"Cadet Kirk, evidence has been submitted to this council, suggesting that you violated the ethical code of conduct pursuant to Regulation One-Seven point three of the Starfleet Code. Is there anything you care to say before we begin, sir?"

"Yes, I believe I have the right to face my accuser directly."

Commander Spock stood from the audience, and Natasha felt like screaming. The half-Vulcan half-human was the one who had programmed the **Kobayashi Maru**.

"Jim, you are so stupid," Natasha said lowly to herself. Leonard took that moment to squeeze her hand in a small show of assurance.

"Jim's smart," he told her softly, "he'll come out of this strong."

"Let's hope so."

She watched on in silence as Jim went back and forth with Admiral Bennett and Commander Spock. Jim had cheated by installing and activating a subroutine to the program code of the **Kobayashi Maru** , therefore changing the conditions of the test.

"I don't believe in no-win scenarios," Jim was saying as he stared down at the tall, dark haired Vulcan hybrid with the pointed ears.

Commander Spock merely quirked an eyebrow as he said smartly, "Not only did you violate the rules, you also failed to understand the principle lesson."

Jim rolled his eyes as he replied sarcastically, "Please, enlighten me."

"You of all people should know, Cadet Kirk. A Captain cannot cheat death."

Everyone who knew Jim's story, at that point, raised their eyebrows in mute surprise. Jim's father had been one of Starfleet's best, and being the best had cost him his life.

"I of all people?" bit back Jim with suppressed anger.

"Your father, Lieutenant George Kirk, assumed command of his vessel before being killed in action, did he not?"

Both Natasha and Leonard furrowed their brows in confusion. It was a low blow that Commander Spock was taking, and if Natasha knew Jim, she knew that Commander Spock was going to be in for one hell of a ride with him once this was all over. Why was he even bringing up Jim's past?

"I don't think you like the fact that I beat your test," said Jim simply, shrugging his shoulders.

"Furthermore," Commander Spock continued, a semblance of a smirk on his lips, "you have failed the divine purpose of the test—to experience fear, fear in the face of certain death. To accept that fear and to maintain control of oneself and one's crew… this is a quality expected in every Starfleet captain."

Jim was about to argue with the commander, but in that moment a cadet aide rushed into the room making a bee-line for Admiral Bennett. The aide handed something that looked like paperwork to the admiral before excusing himself from the hearing.

The look on the admiral's face quickly changed and the color drained from his cheeks. He blinked once before taking in a deep breath and saying, "We've received a distress call from Vulcan. With our primary fleet engaged in the Laurentian system—"

 _Hell no_ , thought Leonard as he gripped Natasha's hand and squeezed it for dear life.

"I hereby order all cadets to report to Hangar One immediately. Dismissed!"

It was organized chaos after that. All cadets and their superiors marched out of the hearing room going as fast as they could. It was a call to arms, and Natasha felt like fainting. She knew that being a part of Starfleet meant going into space and defending the Federation—but it was only their third year! She wasn't mentally prepared for this. Not yet. She could die today... _**Leonard**_ could die today!

"Tasha," Leonard's voice broke her out of her train of thoughts, "Darlin', you alright?"

"Yeah," she said softly, even though she knew (and Leonard knew) that she was lying. "I need to find Pavel. I'm his legal guardian… he'll go with me to… whatever ship they assign me to—what if they don't assign **us** on the same ship?!"

Leonard knew that was a possibility. Pavel, being seventeen and still considered a minor, would be assigned to Natasha no matter where she was being sent off to, but he… no. He couldn't think of that right now.

" _Babygirl_ , I'll find a way back to you if they separate us, I promise."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Reviews equal more updates. Just saying.

And also please let me know how I'm doing with Leonard's character and if I need to change things in the story over all.


	6. Life's Too Short

"Chekov—USS Enterprise—"

Leonard stood in Hanger One with baited breath. The kid had just been assigned to the USS Enterprise, which meant that that was where Natasha was going to go. His grip on her hand tightened as they waited for their respective names to be called out. He was nervous; the only detail they knew was that Vulcan was sending out a distress call—they didn't know anything more than that. They didn't know if it was something to do with the anatomy of the planet itself, if it's people were fighting against each other, or if the planet was being attacked by outside forces. Whatever it was, death was certain.

"McCoy—USS Enter—"

Natasha was nearly knocked back by the sheer force of Leonard's kiss. There was a silent urgency in his kiss as he wrapped his arms around her, not giving a damn if people were looking. He wasn't one to be sloppy and bold in his public displays of affection with Natasha, he always kept it subdued. He was a firm believer of keeping your business (relationship or otherwise) private and to yourself, however with the current situation at hand, all he cared about was the fact that he and Natasha were going to be together in this fight.

"Ivankov—USS Enterprise, Vader—USS Hood… Welcome to Starfleet; godspeed."

"He didn't call my name—Commander!" Jim's voice suddenly rose above all else as he called out to the Commander who had been assigning cadets' to their ships. "Sir! You didn't call my name: Kirk, James T.?"

"Kirk," the Commander began as he reviewed the screen of his PADD, "you're on academic suspension. That means you're grounded until the Academy board rules."

Jim was silent after that, a blank expression on his face.

Releasing Natasha from his embrace, Leonard kissed her forehead before turning to look at his friend. He had heard the exchange between Jim and the nameless Commander.

"Jim," he began, placing a hand on the man's shoulder, "the board'll rule in your favor… _Maybe_ —"

"Leonard!" Natasha scolded, glaring at him.

"Look," Leonard chuckled sardonically as he looked at his friend, "you know what I mean. Anyways, Jim, I got to go."

"Yeah, get going," said Jim softly, an almost sad expression on his face. One of his dreams was to be up in space on a starship, and now he was stuck on the ground… he had really screwed up.

Leonard sighed and gave his friend a quick hug, moving to the side to allow Natasha to say her goodbyes as well. She hugged Jim tightly and nearly cried when he told her to be safe. She promised him she would, however both of them knew that that was not for certain.

"2009," Natasha told him with a small smile, "remember that number. It's the override code to my apartment, stay there until we get back. You're more than welcome to anything in my fridge. Go eat and sleep, alright."

Jim chuckled but said nothing, simply nodding his head. Natasha—always the mother hen.

"Farwell Jim," it was Pavel's turn, and the little Russian gave Jim a small, nervous smile as he patted his arm.

"Keep your cousin safe, kid," Jim told him with nod before he turned to leave.

Leonard took a deep breath as he looked at his friend walk towards the Hangar's exit. There was a small voice in the back of his head screaming at him to do something. That look on Jim's face had been, dare he admit it, pitiful.

 _That son of a bitch_ , he thought as he rolled his eyes and turned to look at Natasha. "You and Pavel go ahead, I'll catch up."

Natasha's eyes widened and she went on full alert. Panicked she said, "What!? What do you mean? Where the hell are you going!? I'm not leaving without—"

"Shut up," Leonard hissed as he hushed her with a kiss. He pulled back, resting his forehead on hers and cupping her cheeks in his hands. Softly he continued with, "I'll be on the shuttle taking off after yours, don't worry. I'll see you on that ship—I just gotta go do something first. Trust me."

Natasha allowed one fear stricken tear to escape the corner of her eye, and after the first, more followed. She was crying… Leonard had made her cry, for the very first time, and it made her realize something that she'd been too senseless to not realize before.

Natasha loved this man with all her heart. Everything he did made her love him. He was dotting and caring, always made sure she ate and got enough rest… He made her feel safe, he took all her worries away, he was funny and stupid and kind and mean and so many other things… She loved him.

Natasha Ivankov loved Leonard McCoy. He was perfect, and she was letting her past relationship rule the way she handled her present.

Leonard was not Logan. He never would be. And so, she could love Leonard freely without fear of being hurt, because she knew that her handsome southern doctor would hurt himself before he'd ever hurt her.

"I trust you," she whispered back, going on her tiptoes and kissing his lips softly. Against his lips, she whispered, "please be on that ship."

"You know I will," he replied in kind, kissing her forehead once and her lips twice. He wiped the tears from her cheeks before he turned to go after Jim, sparing her one last glance before he walked into the sea of rushing cadets going to their assigned shuttles that would take them to their starships.

"Come," Pavel told his cousin softly as he took her hand and pulled her towards their awaiting shuttlecraft.

 _You better be on that ship, Leonard McCoy_ , she thought, shooting one last glance in Leonard's general direction before entering the shuttle and taking a seat beside the window.

* * *

Upon boarding the USS Enterprise, she had been given her new uniform. No longer was she to wear her red skirt and jacket that she wore while attending Academy classes. She was now officially Lieutenant Dr. Ivankov, the higher rank being given to her because of her status as a licensed doctor and senior medical officer, and therefore outranking any entry level officer.

There were various variations of the female Starfleet uniform; short or long-sleeved, dress or skirt or even slacks, knee-high boots or mid-calf boots, and even heels if you could stand to serve in them—Natasha had opted for the long-sleeved, mid-thigh high dress with black leggings underneath, pairing them with knee-high boots that laced up in the front. The dress' color was according to her division; medical wore blue, and so she donned the blue dress quickly before heading out to the medical bay (or med bay for short) to receive her assignment.

* * *

Twenty minutes was all it took for Leonard to catch up with Natasha. She was relieved at first as she saw him cross the glass doors into the medical bay, donning his own blue uniform shirt and black slacks, however she noticed that he wasn't alone.

" _Leonard_ _ **Horatio**_ _McCoy_ ," she hissed as she set her PADD on an empty gurney and made a bee-line towards her beloved and the fair-haired man he was lugging beside him.

"Ooh, she pulled out the middle name! You're in trouble," grinned Jim drowsily as Leonard nearly threw him on the nearest gurney they passed.

"What the hell have you don—" Natasha stopped herself as he got a good look at Jim. The blonde was pale, sweating, and looked about ready to throw up.

"I had to inject him with _Melvaran mud fleas_ ," Leonard explained quickly as he pulled out a syringe from his pocket.

Natasha's mind went into overdrive. _Melvaran mud fleas_ : it was a viral infection and its symptoms included loss of vision in the left eye, a flop sweat, an itchy mouth, and a head splitting headache. Poor Jim…

"Leonard, how could you!" Natasha cried out in anger as she looked at the doctor in disbelief.

"It had to be done," Leonard shrugged, as he quickly injected the syringe into the base of Jim's neck.

"Aggh!" Jim yelled, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Stop complaining," Leonard scolded him while rolling his eyes. "You wanted to be on this ship, well there you go. You owe me one."

"I don't owe you…"

James T. Kirk had passed out.

Natasha looked at Jim's unconscious form with a blank expression before she looked up into the hazel eyes of her doctor.

"How?" she said slowly, furrowing her brows in question and crossing her arms across her chest. "He wasn't cleared to **fly**!"

" _Medical Code_ states the treatment and transport of a patient to be determined at the **discretion** of his attending physician, which is _me_ ," replied Leonard with a smug smile.

Natasha stared at Leonard for a second, her expression serious as she studied the man before her. She couldn't believe it. This man…. this crazy, stupid, brilliant man, had gone back for his friend and had broken so many rules in doing so just to get him up in the sky. She couldn't help the small laugh that escaped her lips as she shook her head, the expression on her face softening.

Try as she might, she could not be mad at him for doing this.

"You are something else, Dr. McCoy."

Leonard smirked and simply said, "Help me get this patient settled in, Dr. Ivankov."

"Yes sir."

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I'm feeling generous, lol. Here, have a little preview of chapter 7!

 **[be kind and review, please]**

* * *

 **Next time on "Fear of Flying":**

 _..."Were those Klingon's attacked by a Romulan ship?"_

 _"A large one," confirmed Jim. "Do you see now? We're going into a trap and if we don't turn this ship around we're all going to die! We need to get to Uhura! She can help me convince the Captain to turn the ship back to earth—she translated that message about the attack last night."_

 _Natasha stood there, stunned. It made sense, surprisingly, and if what Jim was saying was true, they were all going to die if they didn't turn the ship around._

 _"What do we do?" asked Natasha, looking to Jim for an answer, but Jim was already making his way towards the medical bay doors. "Jim!"_

 _Jim was already gone, which left Natasha no other choice but to chase after him, all the while yelling, "LEONARD!"_

 _From within the medical bay, just as the glass doors slid shut, an angry, southern accent could be heard screaming, "DAMMIT JIM!"..._


	7. Dammit Jim

Jim's vital were normal. The sedative that Leonard had given him had completely knocked him out. In just a couple of hours Jim would sleep off the virus and be his old self again, at least that's what Leonard was hoping for. He hadn't been too precise on the dosage of the virus in accordance with Jim's body weight and genetic makeup. For all he knew the virus might kill him… or it might leave him with no lasting effects. He would just have to wait until his friend woke up to give him a thorough examination, but as far as he was concerned, the bedside vitals monitor was saying that everything was fine with the patient, so that took a little bit of the strain off of Leonard's chest.

Now he just had to figure out where to hide Jim once he woke up.

 _Maybe I can find a lab coat for him and make him pretend to be one of us_ , thought Leonard as he crossed his arms and sighed deeply.

"How is he?" Natasha's voice broke the silence. She came to stand beside her beloved, handing him a small plastic wrapped package.

It was, of all things, a sandwich. Leonard had to smile at that. It was little things like this that made him appreciate her so much. He need not ask, she just always knew.

"Thank you, Babygirl," he said with a nod of his head, giving her a small smile as he unwrapped the small package and took a bite of what turned out to be a grilled chicken sandwich.

Natasha resisted the urge to swoon. She loved when he called her by pet names: Darlin', Baby, Sweetheart, Sweet Pea, or her personal favorite, Babygirl. It made her love this man even more. He never called her by her name (or Tasha) unless it was something serious or if he was trying to get her attention. And yeah, he used the word "Darlin'" most with females, however she knew that it was just something he had grown up with, like a force of habit. Her's was "hon," which sometimes drove Leonard crazy when she used it on male patients. The man was the jealous type, but then again, so was she.

"There's a food replicator in the Chief Medical Officer's office," Natasha went on to say, walking over to stand at the foot of Jim's bed, "I know you're not a fan of replicated food, but you haven't eaten since this morning and I know how grumpy you get when you're hungry."

Leonard rolled his eyes but said nothing, simply choosing to ignore Natasha as he devoured his sandwich. His last meal had been early that morning, with her; he'd made bacon and eggs and they'd ate it in the living room while watching the morning news on the flat screen. That was about… over ten hours ago? Maybe? Possibly more, he figured, with the way he was practically inhaling the sandwich.

"His vitals are strong," Natasha commented as her eyes quickly read the readings Jim's monitor was displaying, "his heart rate is a little too fast though. That's odd—you gave him a sedative, it should have helped keep his heart rate down."

"It's just his body fighting off the virus," Leonard informed her after taking the last bite of his sandwich.

Natasha just shrugged before sticking her arm out, palm up and open. Wordlessly Leonard placed the crumpled up sandwich wrappings in her hand and watched Natasha throw it into the nearest trash bin.

"Water?" she asked him, already making her way towards the CMO's office. He chuckled at Natasha's retreating form. He knew for a fact that no one had given her permission to be using the CMO's personal food replicator, but that was just how she was. If she found out you had missed a meal, she would find a way to feed you at all costs, with or without your approval.

Besides, Dr. Puri, the ship's appointed Chief Medical Office, was too busy handing out orders to the lower ranking medical officers to even notice the small redhead slip in and out of his office.

As Natasha walked out of Dr. Puri's office with a bottle of water in one hand, all the screens in the med bay flashed with an incoming, shipwide, broadcast. She was surprised to see Pavel's face flash across the screen as she came to stand besides Leonard, handing him the bottle of water only for him to set it down on the nearest table and cross his arms, his eyes intently watching Pavel on the closest monitor screen.

"May I have your attention… please," Pavel started to say, a small, nervous smile on his lips. He was carful with the enunciation of each word, and Natasha knew that the poor boy was nervous beyond belief, not because he was sitting in the navigator's chair up on the bridge, but because he was self-conscious of his accent.

She listened intently at her baby cousin, a small feeling of pride welling up in her chest as she watched him inform the ship of what was currently happening. Her little pride and joy, only seventeen and already sitting on the bridge, the youngest on the ship and with one of the highest positions besides the Captian's. She wasn't his mother, but she loved him like he was her own even though in the next year he would be turning of age. Maybe it was because she had lost a baby of her own, but whatever the case may have been, she had latched onto her baby cousin, and it had helped her so much overcome all that had happened.

At twenty-two hundred hours, the ship's telemetry had detected an anomaly in the neutral zone. It was, oddly enough, what appeared to be a lightning storm… in space. Soon after, Starfleet had received a distress signal from the Vulcan High Command; their planet was experiencing dangerous seismic activity. They needed to evacuate the whole planet.

The USS Enterprise's (and the other starships enroute to Vulcan) mission was to assist in the evacuation and to assess the condition of Vulcan.

A weight lifted from both Leonard's and Natasha's chest, unbeknownst to the other. They weren't going to war, they wouldn't be battling dangerous enemies… they would be there to assist the Vulcans in a simple evacuation mission. They would be home safe in a day or two.

"We should be arriving at _Wulcan_ shortly. Thank you for your time," said Pavel with a small smile, and after that, his image disappeared from the monitor.

"Thank God," muttered Leonard, exhaling deeply, his shoulders visibly relaxing.

"Well then," Natasha started off with a grin, "we need to start doing inventory. I've got some nurses already—"

Jim chose that moment to wake up, nearly scaring the living daylights out of Natasha. He sat up in the hospital bed, a wild look in his eyes as he nearly screamed, "Lightning storm!"

"Jim," Leonard stated, a surprised look on his face, "you're awake! How do you feel?"

"Uh…," Jim was at a loss of words. He'd been drifting in and out of consciousness while on that hospital bed, and had managed to hear some of the broadcast, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember any details other than the lightning storm. "I, uh…"

He was so confused.

"Hey hon," Natasha tried, a motherly expression on her face as she placed a warm hand on Jim's shoulder, "how do you feel? Are you— _holy shit_!"

Jim and Leonard were surprised by Natasha's outburst, Leonard however understood why his girlfriend had reacted so suddenly when he finally caught sight of Jim's hands.

"Good god, man!" he exclaimed, eyes going wide as he turned to search for a tricorder to get a better reading on Jim's vitals.

"What?!" Jim exclaimed, exasperated, until he looked down at his lap and caught sight of his hands. "What the hell's this!?"

His hands had swollen so badly that they were the size of baseball mitts.

"It's a reaction to the vaccine!" Leonard all but yelled. He hadn't seen a reaction this bad since medical school.

"Do we have any _cortazone_?" asked Natasha urgently.

"Of course we do!" Leonard snapped before turning on his heels and yelling, "Nurse Chapel, where are you? I need fifty cc's of—dammit! I'll get it myself!"

Natasha rolled her eyes. That was Leonard for you. She wasn't even mad that he had snapped at her, he was just worried about his friend, and that was totally understandable. She would have words with him later, however, on controlling his temper.

"Tasha," Jim asked, almost pleading her, "what was the broadcast about? What about that lightning storm?"

Natasha looked at him with a strange expression. Why was he so fixated on that lightning storm? She told him everything, nonetheless, figuring that it wouldn't hurt to let him know what the Enterprise's mission was.

"It's a trap," Jim said with a pained expression, "we're flying into a trap!"

"How is it a trap?"

"C'mon Tasha, you already know this," Jim was adamant, "You know about my father and the ship he was on, the USS Kelvin! How they flew into a lightning storm just like—"

"Oh my god, Jim," Natasha told him, refraining the urge to roll her eyes, "sweetheart, this is nothing like what happened to your father. The lightning storm is probably being caused by Vulcan's atmosphere being all wonky with—"

"No," Jim cut her off, a determined expression overtaking his features, "a lightning storm in space shouldn't exist! It's an anomaly for a reason; an anomaly like that happened on the day of my birth right before the USS Kelvin was attacked by a Romulan ship—a _large_ , Romulan ship unlike any ever recorded!"

"And you think because there's another lightning storm that we're going to end up like the USS Kelvin?" asked Natasha sarcastically. _Jesus, that vaccine is totally messing with his head_ , she thought _. Where the hell is Leonard? He should have just let Christine get the cortazone!_

"I know you might think I'm crazy—"

"Understatement of the year—"

"Bitch—"

"Anyways—"

"Look," Jim sighed, getting straight to the point, "we need to find Uhura."

"The communications officer?" asked Natasha, confused, "why?"

"The Kelvin attack took place on the edge of Klingon space, and –don't ask how I know this— but last night there was an attack that took out fourty-seven Klingon warbirds in the exact same place that the Kelvin had been attacked in so many years ago."

"Were those Klingon's attacked by a Romulan ship?"

"A large one," confirmed Jim. "Do you see now? We're going into a trap and if we don't turn this ship around we're all going to die! We need to get to Uhura! She can help me convince the Captain to turn the ship back to earth—she translated that message about the attack last night."

Natasha stood there, stunned. It made sense, surprisingly, and if what Jim was saying was true, they were all going to die if they didn't turn the ship around.

"What do we do?" asked Natasha, looking to Jim for an answer, but Jim was already making his way towards the medical bay doors. "Jim!"

Jim was already gone, which left Natasha no other choice but to chase after him, all the while yelling, "LEONARD!"

From within the medical bay, just as the glass doors slid shut, an angry, southern accent could be heard screaming, "DAMMIT JIM!"

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Leave some reviews and I'll update the next chapter.

Thanks for reading.


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